April 18, 2012
New Selection Process for SF Zen Center Officers

INTERESTED IN A WORK PRACTICE POSITION? Do you miss living in community? Are you at a place in your life where you could contribute the skills and experience you have gained in the marketplace to Zen Center’s sustainability?

Zen Center’s full Abbot Executive Group (Central Abbot, Abiding Abbesses, Abiding Teacher at Tassajara, officers, and board chair) has been working on systematic succession planning for our president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary, all of whose terms expire at various points during this year. We have adopted a process and criteria for selecting officers which is now available in PDF form.

We are using a new selection process this year, and it is a shift in how we normally invite students to serve as officers. In order to begin a more transparent, inclusive and on-going succession planning process, all persons who meet certain minimum criteria are eligible to be considered and interviewed for the officer positions, if they desire to participate in the process and if they are available to fill the position at the appropriate time. The minimum criteria are:

  • Residence at Zen Center for at least 5 years
  • Having held at least one senior staff position
  • Not currently in the category of “elder monk”

We are proactively notifying all current residents who meet the minimum criteria. The search committee is open to considering anyone who meets the minimum criteria but is not a current resident. If you are interested, please contact our Corporate Secretary Valorie Beer via email at secretary@sfzc.org.